Close Call
by Technicolourful
Summary: Lily almost drowns. Short one-shot, takes place in her 7th year at Hogwarts. Written for the H challenge in HPFC


Lily

It was so cold. Lily hated being cold. It took her a while to register the water pressing in on all sides. All she could think about was being cold. After a few seconds, however, she realized that she was drowning. They say that when you are about to die, your whole life flashes before your eyes. It's not true. Lily just felt a large feeling of déjà vu. Instead of her whole life, she remembered being six.

She had nearly drowned in Auntie Grace's fish pond. After that Lily was afraid of large bodies of water. Her doctor called it a minor case of hydrophobia. How ironic, Lily thought, to die in the very thing she was afraid of.

Lily didn't even know how she had gotten into the frigid waters. She had only been standing on the edge of the lake, attempting not to touch the water, which was lapping up against the shore. She and Alice had been tickling the giant squid. Sometimes people were pulled into the lake by the enormous cephalopod. But they always got out. No one had ever drowned.

It was strange, Lily mused, to be thinking so rationally when she was dying. Her hair was billowing out around her, a small, red cloud. It seemed to be getting darker. Her ears had not popped yet, under the pressure, so she couldn't be very deep. Lily didn't want to die, but she couldn't swim…there was no way she could save herself. As Lily accepted the fact that she _was_ going to die strong arms closed around her waist. It must be Death, coming to claim her at last. She had no voice to say them, but she mouthed the words anyway.

"Take me, I'm ready." Lily Evans blacked out completely.

***

It was all white. Lily blinked her eyes blearily. Was she dead? If so, was this heaven? Lily gave a small smile; at least that James Potter couldn't bother her here. Giving her head a little shake, Lily looked around her. Beds. Why were there so many beds in heaven?

A stout lady bustled over to her. "I see you're finally awake. You were very lucky, it was a close call. If that boy had gotten you out one minute later…well, all that matters is that you're okay now." The woman smiled and fluffed Lily's pillows.

"Is this heaven?" Lily murmured, not able to muster a stronger voice.

"Sorry, dear, didn't catch that." The woman smiled again. Lily supposed that the kind lady must be an angel. But didn't angels have perfect hearing? The angel held out a spoon filled with a yellowish liquid.

"Drink this. It will make you feel better." _Well_, Lily reasoned, _angels always know what to do._ She obediently opened her mouth and swallowed the medicine. Almost immediately she began coughing. The liquid was disgusting. The angel (although Lily wasn't so sure about that anymore) didn't take any notice to Lily's discomfort. Instead, she went over to the door and opened it.

"You can come in now. She just woke up." Lily looked in the direction of the door, and into the room bounded the heckler himself. Lily groaned inwardly. She was definitely _not_ in heaven.

"Hi, Lily!" The black haired boy beamed at her. Lily swallowed, allowing her voice to become stronger.

"Go away." Lily turned her head to the woman, who must be Madame Pomfrey. "Why is he here? Why did you _let_ him in?" Madame Pomfrey gave Lily a bemused look.

"Well he saved your life. If it wasn't for James here, you wouldn't be able to complain at all." Lily stared at Madame Pomfrey disbelievingly. Then she turned to look at James, who was practically bouncing in happiness.

"Y-you…saved me?" James nodded, and, for once, didn't say anything. "Oh." James grinned at her.

"I guess you'll _have_ to go out with me, now, Evans! Good thing too, because it's our last year at Hogwarts, and next year I won't get to see you every day." James said the last sentence almost to himself. Lily thought over what he had said. She could do worse, she supposed, although she didn't know of anyone. And he _had_ saved her.

Lily nodded mutely. Impossibly, James' smile got even larger. "Great! Finally won you over, eh, Evans?"

"Don't push it, Potter." Lily growled.

"Okay, okay. I'll see you next Hogsmeade weekend then!" With that, James ran out of the hospital wing. Lily would have sworn she could hear him yelling, "I got a date with Evans!" all the way down the hall.


End file.
